Posted
by
Soulskill
on Wednesday May 22, 2013 @08:12AM
from the ways-in-which-microsoft-is-like-ET dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Xbox One was revealed earlier, and Kotaku was able to get some answers about the always-online rumors that plagued the console before its announcement. Microsoft VP Phil Harrison said Xbox One doesn't need a constant connection in order to play games, and you won't be dropped from single-player games if your connection cuts out. However, it does require check-ins with Microsoft servers. This echoes the Xbox One FAQ, which cryptically says, "No, it does not have to be always connected, but Xbox One does require a connection to the Internet." The number Harrison gave was once every 24 hours, but Microsoft's PR department was quick to say that was just one potential scenario, not a certainty. Microsoft also provided half-answers about how used games and game sharing would work. Players will be able to take a game to a friend's house and play it (using their profile, at least). Players will also have some mechanism to trade and sell used games, but it's not yet clear exactly how it would work. If one player uses a disc to install a game on their Xbox One, then gives the disc to a friend, the friend will be able to install it, but needs to pay full price to play it. That scenario, however, assumes both players want to own the game — the second one would essentially be a unique copy. Microsoft said they have a plan for trading used games, which would involve deactivating the game on the original owner's console, but they aren't willing to elaborate yet."
Several publications have hands-on reports with the new hardware: Engadget, Ars Technica, Gizmodo.

Well then you're in luck, because keeping a gaming PC capable of playing the latest games is less painful than it has ever been. Mid-grade CPUs and motherboards from 3-5 years ago are still perfectly capable of running any new game. Ram and HDDs are dirt cheap. The only thing you'll be sinking much money into is most likely a graphics card, and even that isn't too bad if you shop carefully. Usually the best value is a current-gen mid-grade card that you can pick up for $150-200, and you won't need to upgrade it more than about every 2-3 years. And this situation is only going to keep getting better.

Kindle lets you loan books - if the publisher allows - for a single short period. Get a book loaned to you but something comes up and can't read it in that window? Oh well out of luck!

I think the author has control over that, but I may be mistaken.

This is one that bit me just a few weeks ago. I'd purchased a recent Jonathan Kellerman Kindle book, but wasn't in the mood to read it yet - so I was going to lend it to my wife. Guess what? It wasn't allowed.

This is why, even though it's inconvenient, I strip the DRM from every Kindle book I buy. Because of that, I was able to "lend" the book to my wife without having to go without my own (physical) Kindle for the duration. Yeah, I know - I'm a hardened criminal and should be in the slammer. But I have access to my purchased ebooks and will be able to use them as common sense dictates, with or without Amazon's blessing.

If Amazon ever makes removing DRM impossible, I won't be buying from them.

The Kinect Program Manager, Scott Evans, basically says MS isn't saying whether or not you can unplug it. “We’ve today announced that we’re selling them together. I’m not sure if we’re sharing details about what happens when you unplug them." “I think it’s a policy decision, we’re not going to discuss it . . . I don’t know what the policy is going to be yet, so I’m not commenting.”

Take from that what you will, but it does prove that MS has not made a statement on whether it has to be plugged in. This could mean a lot of things. He could be saying yes. He could be saying you might not be able to unplug them and I don't know because I don't make that decision. He could also be saying no. He could also be saying we'll talk about that tomorrow (the reveal is a two-day event) so I can't say today. It's really a non-statement statement.

What we do know is that MS *could* make you keep them plugged in now, in the future, or for certain things. Right now the answer is "maybe."

GoG is by far the best and easiest way to get old PC games, because they work out the emulation and such for you. There are still people who sell boxed copies of old games for more than GoG prices, but that's mostly the collectors aspect, I suspect.

Given a good online service to buy old console games cheap - like GoG (and to a limited extent Steam) provides on the PC - why would a second-hand store be needed?